"Lord Steward!"
As Ye Wushuang and Chen Yuan were talking, Yuncheng and the other young man walked over.
"Yuncheng!"
When Chen Yuan turned his head, Ye Wushuang followed his gaze.
"Lord Steward, what brings you to the Fierce Demon Cave today? Is there anything I can do for you?" Yuncheng asked respectfully.
"It's nothing much, I was just dropping someone off," Chen Yuan replied. He then introduced him to Ye Wushuang. "By the way, little brother, this is Yuncheng. He's mainly in charge of guarding the prisoners in the Fierce Demon Cave."
"I am Yuncheng." Yuncheng also cupped his fist in a salute toward Ye Wushuang.
"Ye Wushuang," Ye Wushuang replied.
"Alright, now that you've met, you can look out for each other in the future. I'll be heading off now." Seeing that the two were now acquainted, Chen Yuan smiled.
"Don't you worry, Lord Steward. As long as he's in the Fierce Demon Cave, I will 'take good care' of Brother Ye," Yuncheng said with a smile, an inexplicable mirth in his eyes as he looked at Ye Wushuang.
Within that smile, Ye Wushuang sensed a chill that made him frown, a sense of alarm rising in his heart.
"Mhm!"
Chen Yuan didn't think much of it. He gave Ye Wushuang a nod and turned to leave.
As he watched Chen Yuan depart, a cold sneer lifted the corners of Yuncheng's mouth. He turned his head toward Ye Wushuang, but his attention was quickly captured by Yangg Qing'er standing beside him.
Yangg Qing'er wore an emerald green dress. Her fine, glossy black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was beautiful and lovely, with an ethereal air about her that made her an absolute, peerless beauty.
'What a beautiful woman!'
Gazing at Yangg Qing'er, intense admiration and possessiveness erupted in Yuncheng's eyes.
"I have yet to ask for the young lady's name."
Yuncheng completely ignored Ye Wushuang and walked closer to Yangg Qing'er. He straightened his clothes slightly, then gave her a courteous bow.
But Yangg Qing'er paid him no mind. The look in Yuncheng's eyes made her extremely uncomfortable, and she instinctively leaned closer to Ye Wushuang.
This subtle movement caught Yuncheng's attention, filling him with displeasure. An undisguised, cold killing intent flickered in his eyes as he looked at Ye Wushuang.
Ye Wushuang's brow furrowed as well. He hadn't expected Yuncheng to develop a murderous intent toward him for no apparent reason.
'Looks like I'll have to be on my guard.'
Ye Wushuang was wary. Yuncheng was at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer and very powerful; with his current strength, it would be difficult to fight him.
However, a thought occurred to him, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smirk of his own.
"Wifey, let's go rest first!"
Ye Wushuang suddenly called out to Yangg Qing'er.
"Ah!"
Yangg Qing'er abruptly looked up, staring blankly at Ye Wushuang with a crimson blush on her pretty face. She clearly hadn't processed what he'd said.
Ye Wushuang said nothing more and simply took her by the hand, leading her away.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
'Bastard!'
Behind them, Yuncheng's fists cracked as he clenched them, a cold light glinting in his eyes. 'Ye Wushuang, that's the woman I, Yuncheng, have set my sights on! You think you're worthy of her? Damn you! I'll definitely kill you.'
After spitting out the cold threat, Yuncheng turned and left resentfully.
「In a room northwest of the main square in the Fierce Demon Cave.」
"Wh-wh-why did you… call me your… wi… wi…?"
At that moment, Yangg Qing'er's mind was a complete blank. Dragged by the hand by Ye Wushuang, she didn't even know how she had ended up in the room.
Looking at Ye Wushuang, who was sitting in a chair and pouring himself some tea, she felt thirty percent annoyed and seventy percent shy.
'How could that guy just go around calling me his wife?'
'If people in the Sect found out about this, what would I do? Would I really have to be his wife?'
'He's so infuriating! And so scary...!!'
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Yangg Qing'er's mind. Her pretty face was burning hot and so red it looked as if a drop of blood might fall from it.
Seeing the flustered Yangg Qing'er, Ye Wushuang felt a mischievous urge. A roguish smile appeared on his lips as he couldn't help but tease, "Wi-what?"
"That, that… wife!"
Yangg Qing'er finally managed to get the word out before lowering her head, her fingers twisting the corner of her clothes over and over.
Seeing this, Ye Wushuang's roguish smile widened. He suddenly moved closer to Yangg Qing'er, leaving almost no distance between them.
"Wh-what do you want?" Like a frightened bird, Yangg Qing'er took a few steps back and asked incoherently.
"What do you think?" Ye Wushuang gave a meaningful smile and leaned in again. 'This girl is clearly terrified of me, so why did she choose to follow me? It's quite puzzling,' Ye Wushuang wondered.
"Are you really at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer, a Disciple of the Inner Sect?" Ye Wushuang suddenly asked.
"Mhm!"
Yangg Qing'er didn't understand why Ye Wushuang was asking this. She nodded slightly and asked in a panic, "What's wrong?"
This only made Ye Wushuang more confused. If she was an expert at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer, why would she be afraid of him and choose to follow him?
If he didn't already know a little about Yangg Qing'er, Ye Wushuang might have suspected she had some ulterior motive.
Looking at the mix of confusion and curiosity on Yangg Qing'er's bashful face, Ye Wushuang couldn't help but laugh. "If I hadn't pulled you away just now, that guy would have started pestering you relentlessly. He'd be bothering you every single day. Would you want that?"
"No!" Yangg Qing'er answered truthfully without a moment's hesitation.
But then a thought occurred to her, and she suddenly looked up and asked, "Then why did you have to kill someone?"
'Why did I have to kill someone?'
Ye Wushuang paused, then retorted, "Why don't you go ask my enemy why he wanted to kill me?"
"But he didn't even attack! For you to do that was a bit…!" Yangg Qing'er argued.
"A bit what? Ruthless? A cold-blooded killer?"
Ye Wushuang's expression turned cold and stern.
Yangg Qing'er looked flustered. In her mind, Ye Wushuang was a madman—a madman seared into her heart.
To this day, she still didn't understand why Senior Sister Qingxue would have her follow such a madman.
"No matter what, killing is wrong," Yangg Qing'er said stubbornly, arguing despite her fear of Ye Wushuang.
Hearing this, Ye Wushuang burst out laughing.
"Am I wrong?"
Yangg Qing'er pouted, her expression full of defiance.
"It seems you're still too naive." Ye Wushuang shook his head and looked up at the night sky, his eyes flickering with a world-weariness and profundity that didn't match his age.
"If I hadn't killed him today, he might have killed me in the future. And you would have died too. So, when it comes to enemies, the correct way is to nip them in the bud. Understand?" Ye Wushuang said faintly.
Perhaps this was the first time he had ever expressed such sentiments.
In this cruel Cultivation World, where deceit and betrayal were rampant and murderous intent lurked everywhere, strength reigned supreme. If you waited for your enemy to strike first, that would be the most dangerous moment of all.
The ways of the world are like ghosts, and the thoughts of men are like blades.
He had suffered countless hardships and endured endless bitterness over the years, but it had also tempered his heart. He had clearly gained a deep understanding of the world and the nature of people.
To survive in this world, one must take precautions and crush all dangers before they could grow.
Otherwise, once an enemy came prepared, you would be the one harmed, and your loved ones and friends would be the ones hurt.
Looking at Yangg Qing'er's bewildered expression, Ye Wushuang sighed inwardly. 'This girl is as naive as a blank sheet of paper. I really don't know if it's right to instill such extreme and cruel ideas in her.'
'But this world is inherently cruel. Purity and innocence are not good things; they only lead to an earlier death.'
"You should get some rest."
With a final glance at the still-defiant-looking Yangg Qing'er, Ye Wushuang left and entered the adjacent room.
Sitting on the bed, Ye Wushuang planned out his next steps for Cultivation before beginning to practice the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique.
Right now, not only did Chen Kun want to kill him, but so did Ba Hu's brother.
Two major death threats now rested on his shoulders.
However, Ye Wushuang wasn't the least bit afraid.
In fact, he believed that more danger would only spur him forward and stimulate him to accelerate his Cultivation and grow stronger.
Of course, if anyone knew what he was thinking, they would probably call him a madman. Others tried every means possible to avoid danger, yet here he was, actually wanting to face more of it.
'The Fierce Demon Cave is an excellent opportunity for me. I must raise my strength to the Body Tempering Tenth Layer, or even the Qi Vortex Realm. Only then will I have a chance to establish a foothold when I return to the Inner Sect.'
Ye Wushuang calculated inwardly. While practicing the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, he also began to study the Dragon Blood Killing Sword.
The Dragon Blood Killing Sword grew stronger as it devoured things. As long as Ye Wushuang's Cultivation continued to increase, its power would also grow. Although it was a one-time use item, it could be considered a life-saving trump card—or even a permanent ace up his sleeve.
Just imagine, during a battle with a powerful enemy, suddenly unleashing this unexpected trump card would definitely catch them completely off guard.
Therefore, as he looked at the blood-red Slaying Sword in the True Dragon Space, a ruthless smile bloomed on Ye Wushuang's face.